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Mr_Miscellany
Senior Scribe
545 Posts |
 Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 19:20:28
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Edited by - Mr_Miscellany on 02 Apr 2011 00:02:14
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 19:46:31
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Thinking a little outside the box, it need not necessarily be a thing of intrinsic value; I once had a gold dragon build his lair atop an ancient sunken city... in which one of his ancestors (who was widely regarded in dragon lore as a great, wise, and just wyrm) had magically enslaved 'lesser races' to make them 'better', and when this experiment failed, had slaughtered the whole city's populace for making him look bad. The current occupant had found it when looking for it's fabled ancestor's 'Lost City of Splendors' and had fortified a lair atop it to keep anyone from ever knowing the truth.
Keeping in the 'ancient secrets' vein, it could have something to do with the dragons' efforts to subvert or destroy the Dracorage Mythal (which, from reading Kisonraathisar's note in GHotR, we know that they have been trying to do for millenia), or maybe it's a node or one of the Weave Anchors we've heard Ed talk about in the 'Ask Ed' scroll. Also, since Dragons don't generally keep spellbooks, but rather find other ways of storing magic, there could be a huge stalagmite-sized crystal deep in a cavern which contains the spells of a long-dead wyrm, or even the secrets to dragon immortality (which Ed wrote about in Dragons of the North').
The article of interest need not be immovable, either- it could just be fragile, or maybe the dragon is so paranoid about protecting it that he/she doesn't want to risk moving it.
Good question, Mr. Misc, you have me thinking, now... |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
Edited by - Knight of the Gate on 31 Jan 2011 19:55:03 |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 19:54:21
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A religious holy site.
An ancient power node that existed back during the creator races. The node empowers the Dragon to greater strength.
Is this something that ANY dragon is to covet, or could it be something special to a specific dragon?
If it can be for a specific dragon, you could have it be that their mate was subjected to a powerful imprisonment spell. The conditions to free their mate isn't simply casting freedom but something more involved. |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 19:58:48
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| I like all of Knight's suggestions! |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Knight of the Gate
Senior Scribe
USA
624 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 20:28:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Wenin
I like all of Knight's suggestions!
Thanks, Wenin. I've just restarted my long-running campaign after a long hiatus, so I'm feeling the FR creativity today! |
How can life be so bountiful, providing such sublime rewards for mediocrity? -Umberto Ecco |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Brynweir
Senior Scribe
USA
436 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 22:15:26
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I've got one. A cantankerous old dragon built the lair over essentially nothing just because she likes the idea of people struggling, fighting, and dying to get in only to find out that the journey was wasted before she kills them 
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Anyone who likes to read something that's really dark and gritty and completely awesome ought to read The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. You can check out a little taste at www.BrentWeeks.com I should probably warn you, though, that it is definitely not PG-13 :-D
He also started a new Trilogy with Black Prism, which may even surpass the Night Angel Trilogy in its awesomeness. 
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 22:27:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
quote:
Originally posted by Wenin
Is this something that ANY dragon is to covet, or could it be something special to a specific dragon?
I was thinking along the lines of any dragon, but if you have a specific dragon in mind, by all means share what you're thinking!
You misunderstood my question. =)
Are you wanting something that any dragon would want, or that "a" dragon would want.
Like my imprisonment idea wouldn't work for "any" dragon, as only the mate would care.
By your response to the suggestions, I'm guessing that any idea that would get "a" dragon to stay put. =)
Ideas:
1. Dragon under a Geas or Curse to guard the location.
2. Dragon could be acting as a "magical seal" to keep a greater evil or good in check. The Dragon must protect himself, as an opposing force wants to kill the dragon to unleash the force.
3. Dragon is guarding "something" (ancient tree, water fountain, earth node) that is used in an epic ritual that results in the death of the Dragon race, or his family line. |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 31 Jan 2011 : 23:00:27
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| No doubt there are dragon packrats — they accumulate ridiculous quantities of stuff and just can't bear to get rid of anything. Massive fortifications could just be draconic "trailer park" renovations which expand lair storage capacity. Obviously nobody here has ever had to move stupid objects like pianos. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Alystra Illianniis
Great Reader
USA
3750 Posts |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4689 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 00:11:19
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| Well Kentinal did a peace treaty with dragons that included tribute, the one agreement in that was no dragon control or slaying items would be paid. So indeed a Dragon clearly would have some interest to protecting things like potions of control, orbs of control, weapons of Dragon slaying. If such a collection became large, making it hard to move, it clearly is possible a Dragon would set up defenses of this accumulated hoard of items dangerous to it and its kin. The list of Dragon danger items is far larger then the few I listed. Moving even 100 items could be a problem for a Dragon. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Brynweir
Senior Scribe
USA
436 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 00:20:54
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Dragon established his hoard when he was younger and smaller... and now he's too big to leave
Sorry. I can't help myself. |
Anyone who likes to read something that's really dark and gritty and completely awesome ought to read The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. You can check out a little taste at www.BrentWeeks.com I should probably warn you, though, that it is definitely not PG-13 :-D
He also started a new Trilogy with Black Prism, which may even surpass the Night Angel Trilogy in its awesomeness.
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Wenin
Senior Scribe
585 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 01:22:45
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| How did the hoard grow then? =) |
Session Reports posted at RPG Geek.
Stem the Tide Takes place in Mistledale.
Dark Curtains - Takes place in the Savage North, starting in Nesmé. I wrapped my campaign into the Hoard of the Dragon Queen, but it takes place in 1372 DR. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 01:39:36
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| I've read about a green dracolich who "lairs" inside a gemstone/phylactery mounted on the hilt of a green dragonslaying blade. The consequence is that the dracolich is always led to (recently killed) green dragons, allowing him to claim their hoards and their bodies. I'm not sure if that really qualifies as strange hoarding behaviour. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Brynweir
Senior Scribe
USA
436 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 02:18:12
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Easy - The people who live nearby don't know that he can't leave. They pay tribute in exchange for his good behavior. How much is it worth to not have your kiddies eaten?  |
Anyone who likes to read something that's really dark and gritty and completely awesome ought to read The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. You can check out a little taste at www.BrentWeeks.com I should probably warn you, though, that it is definitely not PG-13 :-D
He also started a new Trilogy with Black Prism, which may even surpass the Night Angel Trilogy in its awesomeness.
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 02:37:13
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"<yawn> Tribute day again ... already?
Oh look, *another* Jewelled Sceptre of Endless Royal Splendour. Just put it on the pile with the rest of them ... move a stack of those Tomes of Infinite Wisdom aside if they're in the way. Careful you don't knock over the platinum chalices. Hey! Don't touch my McHappy Dragon Toy collection, I plan to sell those on dBay. Gold? Dump it over there. Well, okay, dump it somewhere out of the way. Not with the gemstones. No, not on the paintings. A nubile virgin princess? Oh, gee, thanx, she's ... uh, beautiful, and her hair matches my ruby-studded tapestries quite nicely. (Why the hell do these monkeys keep bringing me their whiny princesses?)" |
[/Ayrik] |
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Fellfire
Master of Realmslore
1965 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 03:04:57
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"I've read about a green dracolich who "lairs" inside a gemstone/phylactery mounted on the hilt of a green dragonslaying blade. The consequence is that the dracolich is always led to (recently killed) green dragons, allowing him to claim their hoards and their bodies. I'm not sure if that really qualifies as strange hoarding behaviour."
Dretchroyaster, the Monarch Reborn, with his insane dream to turn his undead body into a spelljammer. One of my favorite all time Realms dragons. Detailed fully in the 2e supplement, Cult of the Dragon.
Bah, Sandstone! I thought I'd make Senior Scribe with 100 posts. |
Misanthorpe
Love is a lie. Only hate endures. Light is blinding. Only in darkness do we see clearly.
"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? You merely adopted the dark. I was born in it, molded by it. I didn't see the light until I was already a man, by then it was nothing to me but.. blinding. The shadows betray you because they belong to me." - Bane The Dark Knight Rises
Green Dragonscale Dice Bag by Crystalsidyll - check it out
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Edited by - Fellfire on 01 Feb 2011 03:07:37 |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 04:31:06
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quote:
Bah, Sandstone! I thought I'd make Senior Scribe with 100 posts.
15/75/350/1000/2000/10000 posts, I believe. Ye get five golden stars, lots of sly winks from Ed & THO, a custom title, and (I'm hoping) a new lamborghini upon attaining 10K Candleposts. Plus it's easier to frighten the noobs into compliance, they naively think ye're all wise and such. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36805 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 05:41:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Arik
quote:
Bah, Sandstone! I thought I'd make Senior Scribe with 100 posts.
15/75/350/1000/2000/10000 posts, I believe. Ye get five golden stars, lots of sly winks from Ed & THO, a custom title, and (I'm hoping) a new lamborghini upon attaining 10K Candleposts. Plus it's easier to frighten the noobs into compliance, they naively think ye're all wise and such.
Wait, a Lamborghini?!? I didn't get one of those! I demand a recount! |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 08:29:05
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| I'll settle for something cheaper, hell, even a Pontiac Solstice, if Candlekeep's run out of Lamborghinis. And that's saying a lot, since GMC (by any name) builds low quality junkcrap - my opinion, of course. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 01 Feb 2011 : 21:00:42
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| One of my favorite NPCs that I designed was a LN green dragon who had and Effigy Master (Complete Arcane, pg 30) in her employ. She had had the Effigy Master create an effigy of herself, and then used shapechange to masquerade as a green elf sorcerer. Also, her treasure was actually the books in the library she lived in instead of a traditional treasure. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31777 Posts |
Posted - 02 Feb 2011 : 00:17:43
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quote:
Originally posted by Mr_Miscellany
quote:
Originally posted by HawkinstheDM
Also, her treasure was actually the books in the library she lived in instead of a traditional treasure.
I like this idea a lot. Did you write up anything else about the NPC's lair or the books found therein that you’d be willing to share? Also where it was located (a city or town or tower in the middle of nowhere)?
Could you tell us about the Effigy Master? I’m not familiar with the (Prestige?) Class and don’t have my books in front of me?
That particular class was detailed in Complete Arcane. I think there was a preview on the Wizards website at the time of the book's release. I'll try and find it. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2011 : 16:34:30
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| I will see if I still have the notes saved somewhere. Basically, an effigy is a construct that can be made from almost any base creature. So basically, the green dragon effigy was just a construct body double for anyone who went dragon hunting, while the true dragon pretended to be an elf. She also had a few more mage class attendants in addition to the effigy master, and the library was definitely not a lending library, but with the right credentials you could earn admittance to study there. One of her attendants might have also been her half-green dragon sorcerer daughter, but I don't really remember off the top of my head. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2011 : 20:10:22
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| Not at all, have fun with it! =) |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 03 Feb 2011 : 20:53:34
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Simulacrum. The spell requires a chunk of snow/ice and a chunk of flesh as a material component. Most people seem to assume the wizard can only make simulacra of himself, and regeneration is painful, so use of the spell is somewhat limited. Lamers.
The fact is you can make simulacra of whatever creatures you like, including dragons, provided you have the material. One dead dragon equals a lot of fleshy material ...
Nolzur's Marvelous Pigments can be good for this, too, if you're good at painting (or bodypainting) dragons. |
[/Ayrik] |
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coach
Senior Scribe
USA
479 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2011 : 15:49:01
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| a pool of radiance |
Bloodstone Lands Sage |
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